In regards to the sense of entitlement that these kids have nowadays.
*shakes my granny fist*
For example, the kid that came up that hurt his ankle a few days ago, wasn't wearing his splint, played in PE and now it was hurting. He wants an ice pack.
I wanted to say, "No, you did this days ago, YOU did not wear your splint, and YOU decided to play in PE knowing it would make it hurt worse."
But instead I gave him an ice pack. If I don't sometimes the teacher sends them back or I am afraid of the sue happy parents in this world. "Why didn't you give my snowflake an ice pack for their non-existent injury!!!???"
A girl came in and said her hand was on the ground and the basketball hit it. Not jammed the fingers, but rolled over and hit it. She wants an ice pack.
I wanted to say, "No, shake it off, rub some dirt on it."
But instead I gave her an ice pack.
I feel like this is a placebo effect more than anything, and they'll be satisfied with the little bit of ice. But then it makes me wonder why can't we tell these kids, who have NO redness/swelling/bruising, normal ROM, that they will be okay without an icepack? They always refuse amputation when I offer, so....
Specializes in ER/Tele, Med-Surg, Faculty, Urgent Care.
Well this explains why I see in the urgent care clinics I see kids for sniffles, a runny nose for an hour and a cough that started in the lobby. Bruising that happened 3 days ago. Rashes from last week but no rash the day they come to urgent care oh and of course toothaches. Nausea vomiting diarrhea but the day they're in the clinic they don't have any of those. The sign outside says urgent care in capital letters. Sigh ...
Well this explains why I see in the urgent care clinics I see kids for sniffles, a runny nose for an hour and a cough that started in the lobby. Bruising that happened 3 days ago. Rashes from last week but no rash the day they come to urgent care oh and of course toothaches. Nausea vomiting diarrhea but the day they're in the clinic they don't have any of those. The sign outside says urgent care in capital letters. Sigh ...
You caught me in the right mood today...the reason you see this kind of stuff is that the visits are being paid by the taxpayers and not the visitors or their parents and thus it's more convenient to go to an Urgent Care than make an appointment with their PCP, go sit and wait to be seen, like it's supposed to be done.
When they do get an ice pack it is ice cubes in a ziplock bag and wrapped with a brown paper towel (the scratchy kind).
That is what our elementary schools do and the secretaries make up the ziplock bags with ice cubes. We wrap ours in a tissue though. They aren't that cool so kids seem to be more focused on getting back onto the playground than sitting with that bag of ice cubes on their "owie".
We have the same problem with head "injuries" . . . we have to send a head injury form home for parents so they can watch for signs of a concussion, etc. Crazy.
You caught me in the right mood today...the reason you see this kind of stuff is that the visits are being paid by the taxpayers and not the visitors or their parents and thus it's more convenient to go to an Urgent Care than make an appointment with their PCP, go sit and wait to be seen, like it's supposed to be done.
Specializes in Telemetry, Gastroenterology, School Nrs.
Wow...pain is whatever the patient says it is existing whenever the patient says it does...
It's kind of expected by parents that a school nurse, or any type of nurse that cares for their child, do the appropriate thing. Lots of opportunity for education too...directed at both the PE teacher and the parents.
Then the other question that school administrators may ask you -is it part of the care plan if it is a chronic condition (or was this just an exacerbation of a previous injury).
We make the problem worse when we don't manage pain. Yes, it gets frustrating - especially in a hospital setting - when people say their pain level is a 9/10 when they had dilaudid 30 minutes ago. But the job of a nurse when it comes to pain is to manage that pain. Ever try non-therapeutic methods other than just slapping an ice pack on? and that isnt even a drug!
Just wondering if you have actually started caring for patients in a clinical setting or if you are still just reading chapters from the textbook?
I am 100% positive that every nurse within this group does everything they are "expected" to do in order to care for each and every child that enters their clinic doors. I don't think for a second that any of us entered our careers as school nurses with the intent to be mean or give less than appropriate care to any of the kids, faculty, or staff, that we see each and every day. Until you have experienced (and I mean really experienced it, not just read about it or seen it on TV) what it is like to be a floor nurse, an office nurse, a telephone nurse, a school nurse, etc... there is NO WAY you can even imagine what a day in the life of one of us truly involves.
You mentioned that the job of a nurse is to help manage a patient's pain, and I will give you that one, but for just a second, remove yourself from that little box and think maybe the mean old school nurse sending that kid back to class without an ice pack is helping to manage that "pain" because she knows that little Johnny absolutely hates Math or Science, or social studies and they have some sort of ailment everyday at that exact same time, hence getting them out of class. And maybe, just maybe, that same nurse gives little Johnny a little pep talk that reassures him that he can handle whatever class he is about to enter and that really, his pain didn't really require an ice pack at all. Some of our kids just need a moment to let them know somebody understands their struggles, or their fears, and they may just need somebody to give them a little hug and the push they need to get through the day. Nursing isn't always about the stuff you read in a textbook. If you can't incorporate your gut feelings and human nature into your practice, you will be a robot nurse and LOTS of things will get missed.
sailornurse
1,231 Posts
Well this explains why I see in the urgent care clinics I see kids for sniffles, a runny nose for an hour and a cough that started in the lobby. Bruising that happened 3 days ago. Rashes from last week but no rash the day they come to urgent care oh and of course toothaches. Nausea vomiting diarrhea but the day they're in the clinic they don't have any of those. The sign outside says urgent care in capital letters. Sigh ...